


I Believe In You

by Cat2000



Category: Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Genre: M/M, Spanking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:48:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24136873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat2000/pseuds/Cat2000
Summary: Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the game series Ace Attorney and I’m not making any money from this ficSummary: Set after the final episode of the first game. Phoenix and Miles have history together. That makes the interactions they had even more difficult
Relationships: Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright
Comments: 6
Kudos: 38





	I Believe In You

**Author's Note:**

> Pairing: Miles Edgeworth/Phoenix Wright
> 
> Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney; some references to murder cases

Phoenix really didn’t know what he was doing here, at the prosecutors’ offices. He wasn’t even sure Miles would still be here. After all, his one-time friend had made it clear he planned to resign as a prosecutor.

But since Phoenix didn’t know where Edgeworth lived (even if it was information he could find out easily), he’d decided that the prosecutors’ offices were his best bet to find the other man.

Getting into the offices was easy. Phoenix wasn’t stopped or challenged as he made his way to Edgeworth’s office and, without bothering to so much as knock, opened the door and walked inside.

In the middle of putting his belongings into a brown cardboard box, Edgeworth paused and cast a glance towards Phoenix. “You need to stop just barging in like this. Whoever takes over from me isn’t going to tolerate it.”

Ignoring the glare the other man directed at him, Phoenix looked slowly around the office. “You really are resigning. I thought Detective Gumshoe would have talked you out of it.”

“He tried. But my mind is made up.” Edgeworth put some paperwork in the box and then looked at Phoenix once more. “Why are you here?”

“Aren’t you going to take this?” Phoenix walked over to the trophy and picked it up, grinning as he intoned, “King of the prosecutors. At least you can put that on your resume, right?”

“Do you want it?” Edgeworth shrugged and glanced away, wrapping his arms around his own shoulders. “Take it. It has no meaning for me.”

Phoenix hesitated before putting the trophy down and turning to face Edgeworth straight on. Not that the other man was looking at him, but the thought was still there. “You shouldn’t leave, Edgeworth,” he said earnestly. “You’d just be letting them win if you run away.”

Edgeworth laughed, but it was a harsh, bitter sound, devoid of humour. “Who says I’m running away? I’m just tired of being here. I’ve reached my goals. This was where I aspired to be. What else is left for me here?”

“Well….” Phoenix heard a wistful note creep into his voice as he continued, “We made a good team, didn’t we? Maybe we can again.”

This time, Edgeworth did look at Phoenix. “That.” He paused, as if thinking better of what he’d been about to say. “We’re not _supposed_ to be working together, Wright. We’re on opposite sides. This last case was a fluke. It won’t happen again.”

“Why not?” Phoenix replied. “You just said you’re resigning from being a prosecutor. You could become a defence attorney. We could work together on cases.” He hesitated before forging ahead. “That was always what you wanted anyway. Wasn’t it?”

Edgeworth looked away again. “You want to work with me?” His voice was heavy with disbelief as he continued, “You think the same as everyone else. That I cut corners. Fabricate evidence. _Why would you want to work with me_?”

Phoenix opened his mouth.

“Don’t even try to deny it.” Edgeworth cut Phoenix off before he could say anything. “I saw that look on your face that first trial. And you accused me of lying on the stand, too.”

Edgeworth didn’t even raise his voice, but Phoenix winced at the words anyway. He didn’t try to deny it. He _had_ listened to the rumours. And allowed them to colour his perceptions of the other man. He spread his hands to either side as a gesture of surrender. “You’re right,” he agreed. “I listened to the rumours and I shouldn’t have. I mean, you changed my life because you wouldn’t listen to everyone who accused me of stealing your money.”

“I can’t believe you remembered that for so long,” Edgeworth muttered. “That you actually wanted to become a lawyer because….”

“Because I wanted to see you again.” Phoenix took a step closer to the other man. He moved right into Edgeworth’s personal space and pressed his body against Edgeworth’s. “I’ve heard so many different reasons for becoming a lawyer. I don’t think my reason means any less than yours. Even if it’s not a normal one.”

Edgeworth took a deep breath and moved, like he was going to take a step back, away from Phoenix. Instead, his hand came to rest on Phoenix’s waist, his fingers brushing over Phoenix’s hip. “I don’t know why.” The words came out a whisper. “I don’t know why you wanted to see me again.”

He hadn’t pulled away, so Phoenix leaned forward and brushed his lips against his. The kiss was gentle, light, tentative.

A low groan was the response Edgeworth gave to the kiss and his grip on Phoenix’s hip grew firmer. His other hand came to rest on the opposite hip and he pulled Phoenix in closer against him.

The kiss deepened and Phoenix closed his eyes, pushing himself closer to Edgeworth. When they finally broke the kiss, he rested his head on the other man’s shoulder and wrapped his arms tight around Edgeworth. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“For what?” Edgeworth’s voice sounded sad. “You only see me as everyone else does. Do you think I haven’t heard the rumours about me? That I don’t know what they all say?”

Phoenix wrapped his arms tighter around Edgeworth. “I shouldn’t have listened.” His voice was low, filled with regret. “I shouldn’t have listened to the rumours. We were inseparable at school. You haven’t changed _that much_.”

“I’ve changed far more than you think I have.” Edgeworth let his hands drop from Phoenix’s waist and took half a step back.

“You can’t forgive me for doubting you.” Phoenix tried not to sound as hopeless as he truly felt. “I can apologise until I’m blue in the face and it won’t be enough.” Guilt made his voice sound quieter than normal. How could he expect a relationship with Edgeworth when he’d outright accused the other man of every rumour being true?

“That’s not it.” Edgeworth’s voice was just as soft.

“Isn’t it? You just pulled away from me. I know you like me too. You would have pushed me away if you didn’t. Not kissed me back. Or held me like I really mattered.” Phoenix could still feel the warmth of Edgeworth’s fingers on his hips. “You moved away because what _I_ did is still between us.”

Edgeworth said nothing.

Phoenix thought about walking away. He considered leaving the offices. But the thought of leaving Edgeworth, when he knew the other man felt the same as him, felt wrong. If he walked away now, he wouldn’t get another chance.

  
“It would be better if you left.” Edgeworth’s voice was low. He was looking away, his arms wrapped around himself once more.

Instead of doing as the other man said, Phoenix walked over to the box on Edgeworth’s desk. He began rifling through it.

“What are you looking for?” Edgeworth asked.

“This.” Phoenix pulled out a thin wooden ruler and looked at it. “Yeah. I think it’ll do.” He gently tapped it against his hand. “Thin, but pretty sturdy.”

“Wright….”

“I didn’t believe in you. I forgot the boy who used to be one of my best friends.” Phoenix looked up into Edgeworth’s eyes. He took a deep breath and held out the ruler to the other man. “Maybe, if you punish me for how I treated you and spoke to you, you’ll forgive me.”

“What if I still can’t?”

Phoenix shrugged. “Then I’ll leave. If that’s what you want. If you can’t forgive me. If you can’t move past this, I won’t make you see me again.”

Edgeworth slowly reached out and took the ruler from Phoenix’s fingers. He looked at it for several long seconds, then walked over to the couch and sat down. He placed the ruler on the cushion next to him and then locked eyes with Phoenix. “Come here,” he directed.

The walk over to Edgeworth seemed at once to take forever and be over in moments. Phoenix moved to Edgeworth’s side and leaned forward, settling himself in place across the other man’s knees. He shifted so that he was as comfortable as it was possible to be while over someone else’s lap and then rested his elbows on the cushion.

The first smack was comparatively light. It was more of a pat than anything else. The next several swats were exactly the same. With his pants in place, Phoenix barely felt anything. “I’m not going to break,” he said finally, squirming as his bottom was beginning to tingle in response to the light smacks.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Edgeworth admitted.

Phoenix lay still and quiet for a few moments before speaking. “If you can’t forgive me and we can’t be together, that will hurt me far more than any physical pain could.” His emotions came through in his voice, betraying how close to tears he truly was.

Edgeworth’s hand came to rest lightly on Phoenix’s lower back, rubbing gently. He did that for a few moments before bringing his hand down in a firmer smack.

Phoenix did his best to relax and hold still over Edgeworth’s lap, but after a full circuit of harder swats, he couldn’t help but begin to shift in place. A low whimper escaped him as Edgeworth’s hand swatted his sit spots and the tops of his thighs.

Now that Edgeworth had got into his stride, it didn’t take long before Phoenix’s bottom was stinging. His eyes began to water as a lump formed in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, trying to stop himself from sobbing outright. The spanking wasn’t even that painful; it was his emotions that were hurting him.

“I know,” Edgeworth said, his voice soft. After another full circuit of swats, he added, “Lift up your hips.”

Phoenix did so, allowing the other man to ease his pants down. He settled back in place and choked back a sob as Edgeworth began to swat more firmly, this time with only the thin layer of Phoenix’s boxers between his bottom and Edgeworth’s palm.

It didn’t take long before Phoenix’s bottom began to grow warm and sore, as if he’d lain out in the sun for too long.

More tears sprang to Phoenix’s eyes as Edgeworth began to swat his sit spots and thighs, uncovered by his boxers. He began to squirm outright, clenching his fingers in the couch cushions to stop himself throwing his hand back to protect his bottom.

And then Edgeworth pulled down Phoenix’s boxers, his last bit of protection.

The crack of bare skin to bare skin made Phoenix jump. He began to sob as Edgeworth spanked his bare bottom and thighs, covering every available inch until it felt like he’d sat down in a fire.

By the time Edgeworth paused, Phoenix was sobbing without pause and his entire bottom felt aflame. He whimpered when he felt the other man reach over him but didn’t try to stop Edgeworth reaching for the ruler; only closed his eyes and waited.

“I’m going to give you ten swats with the ruler,” Edgeworth said. “And then…then….” He hesitated. “I’ll forgive you, Phoenix. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to leave me. I want to be with you.” The last sentence was uttered so softly, it was barely audible.

“Thank…thank you.” Phoenix managed to get the words out. He slumped limp over Edgeworth’s lap and waited.

The sting of the ruler was far more intense than Edgeworth’s palm and Phoenix’s sobs increased with force as the thin line of fire exploded across the crest of his backside. His sobs increased with each further strike, accompanied by yelps as the ruler snapped across his sit spots and thighs respectively.

When the promised ten strikes had been given, Phoenix was sobbing without pause. It took him several moments to realise Edgeworth was now rubbing his back.

It took a while for Phoenix’s tears to fully subside. When they did, he carefully pushed himself up, reaching back to rub his bottom before he wrapped his arms tightly around Edgeworth. “I’m really sorry,” he reiterated.

Edgeworth wrapped his arms tightly around Phoenix in return, whispering, “I forgive you, Phoenix.”

This time, when Phoenix kissed Edgeworth, there was no hesitation. The two of them clung to each other and even when they pulled back from the kiss, Edgeworth pressed a kiss to Phoenix’s neck and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Sighing quietly in contentment, Phoenix nuzzled in close to the other man. “I love you,” he whispered, his voice raw with honesty.

Edgeworth squeezed Phoenix’s hips and drew him in for a deep, lingering kiss before he whispered, “I love you too.”

Phoenix smiled and closed his eyes, letting his head rest on Edgeworth’s shoulder. His bottom and thighs ached and throbbed, but inside, he felt light. Free. Forgiven. And, more importantly, loved. And that left him feeling at peace.

** The End **


End file.
